Impulse-Momentum
by VTStarCosmic
Summary: Science was real to life, if one thought about it. Impulse caused momentum, there was conserved gain and loss from relationships...and obviously gravity and -external forces- from a certain pink star child were the reasons why his ship was on the sea floor. Though, perhaps not all relationships were as easily quantifiable...[Post Revenge of Meta Knight]


Meta Knight stared out over Orange Ocean from a grassy bank, taking in the remarkable scenery that it was known for. The gentle breeze felt cool and comforting against his skin and cheeks, and the crashing waves against the beach and cliffs gave off a calming sound, contrasting how horrifying the roar of the ocean had seemed to him when he almost drowned a little over an hour ago. The sun was setting over the waves, turning the sky, water, and landscape to the vibrant orange the area was named after. The beach was pristine, the ocean so soothing…it was as if nothing had transpired that day.

Almost as if a half-totaled metal warship hadn't sunk in said ocean about an hour ago.

" _Hey, I forgot to reattach the limiter you had in your gear when I repaired it. You wanna stop by sometime and pick it up again?"_

" _A limiter? What do you mean by that?"_

" _You don't know what a limiter is, yet you own one? Well, if you know it by a different name, it's something that, generally, people with lots of stress, magic, or whatever keep with them to prevent themselves from going over their limit, if you couldn't guess from its name. Keeps you from suffering all those fun side effects like insanity or losing control or blowing all your magic and killing yourself by accident…but some people carry them just because they're good at balancing emotion. I dunno why you have yours, and it's obviously not my business to speculate, but you should stop by as soon as possible and pick it up. I'm sure you don't wanna be suffering any unpleasant side effects from not having it on you all of a sudden after you've been carrying it around for so long without knowing it. Seriously, come by ASAP, alright kid?"_

" _I'll find some time later to stop by. Thank you."_

When he hung up the call from the Waddle Doo smith, he pushed that warning away without much thought to it. After all, he was a puffy, alien, star child: his powers outclassed a simple electricity user who specialized in metalworking over fighting. Surely he had the expertise to judge things like this. Surely!

… _well, maybe not. But still, something trivial like that wasn't enough to pin the blame for the endless cascade of failures that happened today. I wasn't_ _ **that**_ _extreme or upset over everything…_

… _Right?_

He wanted to say "right". He really did. But now that he was reflecting on the past few weeks, he wasn't sure if he could say that truthfully.

Thinking about it more clearly, he may have been a bit snappier with Kirby than was merited, though he still didn't regret it. That trip to town where he'd tried to explain his profession to some locals hadn't put him in a good mood, either. And there was no doubt that the stress from the three projects he'd overconfidently taken on all at once probably added into his decision. So when Captain Vul, the navigator they had hired recently to help familiarize themselves with the geography of Dream Land, had made an offhanded comment about how most citizens of Dream Land held no appreciation for higher technology…well, that had been the last force needed to put the metaphorical ball into motion, and a whole slew of opinionated mistakes and comments had followed.

He should have known to step back. He'd been more upset on his own in the past few years. But somehow, the sense of power that came with having people who agreed with your opinions distracted him just long enough to forget thinking about the consequences of his actions. He'd thought about invasion scenarios before; it was just natural, considering his profession. However, the reminder of any potential failure had kept him from carrying it out…until now. Now, nothing else mattered. Now, he was determined to show the lazy residents of Dream Land what life was supposed to be like.

…and now, Kirby had gotten into a fight with him and totaled his ship, which was currently halfway melted, and submerged in the Secret Sea.

All because he had attempted this crazy idea. This collection of mistakes. Mistakes that he surely wouldn't have made if he'd taken a moment and thought about it calmly, instead of acting on an impulse because he was angry over some ideals. If there was anything physics had taught him, impulse caused momentum. And by the time the momentum from his impulse had worn off, he was underwater in the ocean at high tide, struggling to escape from the scrap remnants of his ship.

…Maybe he should've listened to that Waddle Doo about the whole "unpleasant side effects all of a sudden" thing. He would be sure to get it this time when he had to drop off his gear for repair- _again_. Hopefully, the Doo wouldn't call him out. He didn't feel like dying of embarrassment after everything else that had happened today.

Speaking of dying, he _should_ have died today; about an hour ago, to be exact.

It was only because of Sailor Dee's extreme luck- or preparedness- that he was sitting here alive. Without the Dee fishing him out of the ocean, he would have died a slow, painful death, drowning under the waves. He'd blacked out shortly after the Dee had found him, and he hadn't woken up until well after they reached shore. The first thing he remembered was Sailor deflating the raft. The interior had still been wet from the sea water he must have forced the puff to cough up.

Now though… Now the two of them were sitting on the bank off the shoreline, the ocean breeze stirring the grass around them as the sun sank into the ocean. Outside of the wind and the waves however, it was completely quiet. Neither puff nor Dee said a word, and the unease hanging in the air had long since become noticeable.

 _You're the captain_ _—_ _no, you're the_ _ **commander**_ _, since that eagle Vul thought he was the captain. Shouldn't_ _ **you**_ _be the one to say something, as the leader? To start the conversation? You need a certain plan of action, especially if you're going to see the king in his proper court to see what sort of punishment this merits. Best to leave now while you have nothing rather than wait a bit and find out you've been outcast from the kingdom and have to uproot your life after rebuilding it._

The puff spared a glance at the Waddle Dee next to him, trying to read his feelings from his expression. All he saw was the same troubled stare on his own face…but no indication as to what that trouble was.

… _don't you want to know if Sailor's going to leave?_

 _This is the second time since meeting him—within a few_ _ **months**_ _, at the very most—that he's saved your life. You've done nothing spectacular for him in return other than employ him. At this point, he has to have realized that_ _ **you're**_ _the one who's dependent on him, not the other way around. If he's thought things through, he knows as well as you that there's no reason for him to stay with you if he's only being dragged down by your relationship, instead of being rewarded._

 _And not only that, you DID just call his home country lazy, threaten to uproot its government, and force the majority of its citizens into more intelligent labor. I doubt he appreciates the sentiment that his home country, and family, are idiots._

He had to know. He just had to. But how to phrase it?

…

…

 _Just be blunt. There's no use dressing up the situation at this point._

"…So. After all this work I just tossed out the window on a whim, and seeing a...truly nasty side of me...do you really want to stay with me in the future?"

"Of course, Meta Knight," Sailor Dee answered, blinking in surprise. "Why wouldn't I? I didn't say anything to make you think that, did I?"

With one of the most defeated expressions the Dee had ever seen on the puff's face, Meta Knight raised a paw to point in front of them. The only thing that lay before them was some scrap on the beach, high tide, and the setting sun, the night sky already infringing on the namesake orange of the area.

"I'd say the fact that I completely totaled the ship we've spent several months working on is a pretty good reason to be upset with me. It's a good thing I followed your advice of keeping all our belongings in the base instead of on the ship; otherwise, we'd have no food and lost virtually everything. I owe you a huge favor—and I already owed you one before. Seriously, Sailor. Why are you staying with me when _I'm_ the one benefitting from this relationship?"

"I have my reasons," the Dee stated, the ribbon on his white-and-blue sailor cap fluttering in the breeze. "I want to stay with you."

" _Why_ though?" The puff's tone made it sound like more of an accusation instead of a question. "You saved my life when we met, and you've saved my life _again_ just now, not even counting all the help you've given me on the ship: on navigating, on telling me where to get food and supplies… What do you gain out of any of this? You don't even break even in this relationship; I'm clearly the one in your debt. I'm not saying I want you to leave. I'd be flattered if you stayed, but… _why?"_

Sailor Dee looked surprised, blinking a time or two. "Well... D-Do you really want to know?"

"If you don't mind, yes," Meta Knight murmured, pushing his paw against his cheek.

"I…It's because you're my friend, Meta," the Dee said, scooting closer to the puff in hopes that he would make eye contact. "You've been really nice to me in these past few months, and you're smart and funny and fun to work with and everything! I'm not going to hate you just because you made a mistake…nobody would. That's not how friends work."

"Friends don't make friends save their lives multiple times," the puffball muttered, dangling his feet over the edge of the bank. "Friendship isn't about one person getting all the benefits out of the relationship."

Sailor Dee put a paw on the knight's shoulder. "I'm getting _lots_ out of being friends with you! I mean, not only do I get a free place to stay that isn't cheap or dirty, but I get to work with you and get your help on projects and stuff! Besides, you didn't _make_ me help you. I did it because I _wanted_ to, and I'm perfectly okay with letting you sit next to my heater, or pulling you out of the water. You can't deny; I have a better life here than I ever did on my own, don't I?"

"I suppose…"

"Well then, I'm benefitting from our friendship. So don't feel bad. I'm staying with you because it's my choice…because you're my friend, and you mean a lot to me." If Waddle Dees could grin, Sailor Dee would be right now. "You always try your hardest and stick to everything. I…I really admire your determination with everything. Not many people would stick with things like you do."

Meta Knight turned toward the Dee, looking confused for a moment. Then, for the first time in a while, the puff smiled at the Dee. "Thank you, Sailor. You…mean a lot to me too. If I didn't express that already when you saved my life, multiple times now."

The Dee chuckled. "Don't worry, you did."

The duo sat on the bank in silence, watching the sun sink below the waves on the horizon as the wind ruffled their fur and clothes. The sky began turning shades of purple and blue, and a few stars decorated the darker parts of the sky like glitter. It was…peaceful. Quiet. It almost seemed as if no arguments had occurred, nobody had been angry or upset, no ships had exploded, and nobody had almost drowned in the ocean. If it hadn't been for their cuts and scrapes, the duo probably could have forgotten the incident entirely, with how serene it was now.

"Well, I suppose I've spent enough time sitting here."

Sailor Dee turned to the puff, startled at the sudden break in silence.

"You know I'm not just going to leave our ship on the ocean floor." Meta Knight shifted, leaning forward to stare further into the horizon. "I can't just let all that work go to waste. Eventually we'll have to take care of that, so it doesn't pollute the ocean or disrupt anything. I'll swim down once we know everyone is safe and assess the damage. The sooner I can recover materials or seal equipment off from water and repair it, the better."

The Dee's eyes widened at that remark. "Wait…Are you serious?"

"Of course." The sapphire puffball nodded, already thinking about what he was going to do. "It has to be done eventually, after all. Better sooner than later."

"What?! But—But Meta Knight, please, I know you're smart, but that doesn't sound smart at all! It's barely been an _hour_ since you almost drowned: you can't just plunge back into the ocean tonight like it's nothing! It's high tide, so if you think you're gonna do that, then for sure, you'll die. I won't let you after—"

Sailor Dee glanced over at the knight, only now stopping to think about what he'd just brought up. The blue puffball's eyes glowed softly in the night, growing wide as he as he stared at the Dee, thinking back over what had happened. Sailor Dee shrank a bit, hugging himself.

"...J-just saying. I didn't mean to bring that back up...sorry. I'm sure you don't want to think about that…"

"No. You're right." Meta Knight crossed his arms, sighing as he leaned back. Sailor Dee let out a quiet breath of his own, relieved. "As much as I'd like to put that out of my mind, I can work on that later, once more pressing issues are taken care of, such as finding the others and dealing with the king...Yes, you're right. I just _totaled_ the ship; repairing it can wait, preferably until we have more money and food. If or when the rest of the crew returns, I want to be sure they're all okay…maybe I should fly up and search for them."

The Waddle Dee glanced at the puff's battered, shaking wings, wondering if he was even aware of that. "I…think that maybe we should wait a bit before searching for them. I'm sure they'll find us sooner or later; after all, the Halberd didn't fall too far off the coast, so everyone else had solid ground beneath their landing instead of water. They have to know we fell in, so maybe they'll head back home. Maybe they'll be waiting for us."

"That's true. Why am I so slow tonight…thank you."

"You're slow because you almost drowned? I—Meta, you need to get patched up; you're bleeding, and your wing looks twisted as well. The others can take care of themselves, but we should go to a doctor or something…"

"No," the puff said quietly, standing and shaking his equipment off. "I can't do that yet."

Sailor Dee blinked, unsure of what to say. "Wh—B…But why?"

"I need to speak to the king." He picked up his only spare mask that was still in one piece: Sailor Dee must have thought to pull it from the debris when he fished him out. "I need to tell the king why I did this, in case he misunderstands. Which he probably will, considering I attempted a takeover."

 _Should have considered his opinions_ _ **before**_ _you attempted said takeover. Although it's doubtful he would have understood the changes you want to make anyways._

… _still, he seems to be at least somewhat concerned about the state of his country…You supported him when he had the Star Rod. You were willing to fight the Nightmare yourself if you got the chance. If he was impressed by you as a complete stranger…maybe he would have list—_

"Wait wait, we went from diving in the ocean to flying across the country—that's not any safer," Sailor Dee argued, jumping to his feet as well. "Sit down for a moment. I…Aren't you going to take any break first?"

"I'll find a star to ride on if I need to," Meta Knight answered breezily, flapping his wings a time or two experimentally—and wincing. One of them was bent at an awkward angle, and stretching it out appeared to have done nothing. The Dee swore he saw tears spring to the puff's eyes from doing that. "The king may already be searching for us anyway, and to be honest, I want to put this issue behind us as soon as possible. The sooner this is resolved, the better. You know I can't stand uncertainty when it comes to other people's decisions, and in this case, well…since my citizenship on Popstar, or at least Dream Land, is relying on the king's decision, this is pretty important for me to be certain on, wouldn't you think?"

"But...can't you at least fix yourself up before you go?" Sailor Dee pleaded.

"Sailor, you realize it's…probably past seven? Any regular clinic is probably closed, or _will_ be closing when we get there. I have to save our money in case the others need compensation, or…in case my wing is too badly injured. Unless I can retrieve some of our equipment from the Halberd, which is going to be a chore, our jobs are probably going to take a long time to do, at least on my end. I don't know about you all, but I'll need to be saving as much money as possible, and emergency clinic visits are…no. You know that's opening an entire billing sector and I don't want to deal with that right now, _or_ pay for it."

Sailor Dee shuffled his feet, wishing he had any of the tools and supplies they'd had at their base or the Halberd. He at least had a small first aid kit that had come with the boat, which he pushed into the puff's paws. "I guess you're right…but here, at least take this. I'm sure the salt, uh—definitely cleaned out your wounds, but just in case they reopen or something, you'll need this. You should um, probably put something on them anyway."

Meta Knight accepted what he was given, and—shoved it in his mouth, pulling his mask over his face. The Dee was almost surprised at this, but considering the circumstances of how he'd met the puff and their weird biology, he wasn't sure if anything could shock him about the alien anymore. Even the crystalized, bubble-mix drool didn't faze him anymore.

Well, it _mostly_ didn't faze him anymore.

"Thanks, Sailor," the puffball murmured, glancing into the distance at Dedede's castle. The mountain it resided on was visible in the distance, but it would still be a long trek without a star. "Thank you for everything. You…should go back home and see if the others are waiting for you. If I see them on the way to the castle, I'll send them there as well."

The Dee nodded. "You got it. What time do _you_ expect to be back? Just so that we can look for you if you don't return."

Meta Knight paused, crossing his arms in thought for a moment.

"…don't search for me until tomorrow. I have my radio and phone; if anything happens, I'll let you know. In the meantime…I don't know, relax? Just don't do anything impulsive…you've seen how that ends well enough today." His wings twitched a time or two. "But that's the end of this incident. Thanks again for saving me, and I'll see you at the base later on. Goodnight, Sailor."

"Goodnight Meta…take care. Please come home safely…"

With that, the sapphire puff turned toward the king's castle and started off, hoping to encounter a warpstar to complete the journey before Dedede went to bed. Behind him, he heard Sailor Dee heading back to their base, on the coast of Orange Ocean. The long walk for both of them would give them more than enough time to think over what had transpired.

 _Maybe I should make sure Sailor reaches the base before I leave…although, he might be offended. I don't want to make it seem like I think he's incapable. He'll be fine._

 _What to say to the king though…? He'll probably take this as an assault on the throne, instead of an effort to change the people. To be honest, that's a fair perception of it. I did intend to take the throne, after all, even if it wasn't directly a throne as much as absolute authority. Although…I helped him when Nightmare invaded the Fountain of Dreams…Maybe he'll give me a second chance? He owes me a favor for that, after all—even if I_ _ **did**_ _try to undermine that to get Kirby to gather the fragments and then take them from him._

 _Kirby…_

 _No. Stop thinking about him. He's the whole reason you were this upset to begin with. Come to think of it, he's the reason you lost your limiter too, by breaking your belongings. I swear, for a fellow star child, why can't he—_

… _No. No, calm down and forget Kirby. If you don't have clear focus when you speak to the king and explain yourself, you lose everything—your home, your crew, your ship…and all your chances to find any information on your family here. Surely the king will listen to reason, correct?_

Meta Knight shook his head, trying to dispel the distraction of his thoughts. There was a warpstar shining brightly next to a few trees, and he would need to pay attention to where he was going if he didn't want to crash.

 _Even if the king is…the king, that doesn't mean he'll destroy you for one offense. If the rest of Dream Land is so forgiving of each other's mistakes, there's no reason why I should believe that Dedede wouldn't do the same._

 _I only hope that this mistake wasn't taken irreparably far._

* * *

C/N: Huge shoutout to Jewelsio for proofreading this entire thing after I blazed through it late at night. I owe you one, kiwi. On the story itself, this would come between two other oneshots I wrote, 'Drowning' and 'Upon a Throne', if you haven't read them already. I suppose that makes it a trilogy of sorts.


End file.
